The Ultimate Pokemon NPC

Non-player characters. They make the (in-game) world go round. And the Pokeverse is no exception!

Whether it's your mom demonstrating her questionable parenting methods and letting you leave home as a tween, various Nurse Joy incarnates chatting you up and healing your Pokemon, or a certain someone with a particularly kickass rat, Pokemon has always had some great NPCs.

And while the battle aspect of the game has been dealing with a steady power creep over the years, that has been roughly paralleled by an increase in plot, character development, and generally good NPCs. I mean, it's tough to compete with Blue/Gary Motherfuckin' Oak, but there've been a lot of good rivals since. Well, not all of them...

Team Rocket Grunt in Game Corner that says "Don't look behind the poster! There's no secret switch behind it!"
Team Aqua Grunts next to each other in front of their HQ. One says "Our boss isn't here. He's gone off to jack a submarine. Where? That's classified!" and the other says "Our boss isn't here. He's gone off to Slateport. What's he doing there? That's classified!"

this dude's the original roadblock, if he hasn't had his cup of coffee, there's no way in hell you're leaving viridian city, and at his age, being able to isolate an entire city from the outside world is kind of a huge deal

not only that, he also teaches you how to catch a weedle, again and again and again and again, this old man is clearly some kind of unknown master of capturing pokemon, i bet not even mewtwo can stand up to this guy's pokeballs

in addition, if you take one of his pokemon-catching lessons, and then fly to cinnabar island and surf up and down the coast...

something unexpected might happen...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

holy motherfuckin shit!!!

clearly this old man of the viridian city has some mystical powers that open up a portal to the forbidden realm, what appears on first sight to be a simple lesson in using pokeballs is actually an ancient summoning ritual that calls forth the most corrupt and mysterious beings, this old man is not just a capturing master, he is also a gatekeeper in all senses of the word

you want to clone your rare candies? talk to the old man

you want to battle weird glitchy trainers? talk to the old man

you want to own the exclusive BIRD pokemon? talk to the old man

you want to do a whole bunch of other weird shit that you'd never thought possible? talk to the old man

that is why in a contest of ultimate NPC, nobody can compare to him and nobody ever will

Clearly, the best NPC is any Pokemon Professor. Where would you even be without them? Probably at school running away from scary monsters that no one knows anything about because no one bothered to research them! Also, without Pokemon Professors, you wouldn't even be able to leave your hometown out of fear of running into Pokemon in the tall grass.

There wouldn't even be a plot to the games without these Professors. No Pokedex? No reason to go out on your journey.

It's obvious that the Pokemon Professors are the ultimate NPCs, and everyone else should just go home. :)

A close 2nd is definitely the infamous youngster who has an affinity for summer wear.

Gets me every single time, especially later when they re-appear and count off properly!

But yes, there are certain random trainers who stick in peoples minds... Joey, Shorts guy, Old Man, Earl (The teacher dude), the Magma/Aqua grunts etc... There is some quality ones... OH the foreign team rocket guy who we rediscover in Unova!

Cause he knows Pokemon ain't just a battle; it's a war. Yeah, you can go on about your type advantages and counters and checks or whatever... but when you're down in the trenches, bombs going off overhead, bullets whizzin by like crackhead mosquitoes, knee-deep in a puddle of goo that used to be your Dragonite... what does your EV training get you then, huh? What about your prissy little Lucario you bred at some brunch-servin day spa with perfect IVs runnin away halfway across Kanto when the thunder started boomin!? Surge, he brings the Thunder, and reaps the Whirlwind. With or without an entry hazard.

not only that, he also teaches you how to catch a weedle, again and again and again and again, this old man is clearly some kind of unknown master of capturing pokemon, i bet not even mewtwo can stand up to this guy's pokeballs

Click to expand...

You're actually right; if you hack the game to change the Weedle he encounters into anything else, including Mewtwo, then he'll still catch it at full health on the first try with a Poke Ball, every time.

this dude's the original roadblock, if he hasn't had his cup of coffee, there's no way in hell you're leaving viridian city, and at his age, being able to isolate an entire city from the outside world is kind of a huge deal

not only that, he also teaches you how to catch a weedle, again and again and again and again, this old man is clearly some kind of unknown master of capturing pokemon, i bet not even mewtwo can stand up to this guy's pokeballs

in addition, if you take one of his pokemon-catching lessons, and then fly to cinnabar island and surf up and down the coast...

something unexpected might happen...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

holy motherfuckin shit!!!

clearly this old man of the viridian city has some mystical powers that open up a portal to the forbidden realm, what appears on first sight to be a simple lesson in using pokeballs is actually an ancient summoning ritual that calls forth the most corrupt and mysterious beings, this old man is not just a capturing master, he is also a gatekeeper in all senses of the word

you want to clone your rare candies? talk to the old man

you want to battle weird glitchy trainers? talk to the old man

you want to own the exclusive BIRD pokemon? talk to the old man

you want to do a whole bunch of other weird shit that you'd never thought possible? talk to the old man

that is why in a contest of ultimate NPC, nobody can compare to him and nobody ever will